Champagne wine region, France

On probably the coldest, foggiest day of 2021, with a fine layer of ice, I visited the Champage wine region of north-east France, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) from Paris.

The main grapes grown in the region include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier.

Within the region, there are five wine-producing districts: Aube (mainly Pinot Noir), Côte des Blancs (95% Chardonnay), Côte de Sezanne (64% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier), Reims Mountain (Pinot Noir), and Marne Valley (Pinot Noir).

The region produces still wines too, but it is most known for champagne production – only sparkling wine in this region can be called champagne. The oldest still wine producer in the region is Gosset, founded in 1584, and it is also the oldest Champagne house continuing its operations today. Ruinart Champagne House was founded in 1729, Chanoine Freres in 1730, Taittinger in 1734, Moet & Chandon in 1743, and Veuve Clicquot in 1772.

The city of Reims and the town of Epernay are the main centres.

Many of the sites in the region were UNESCO World Heritage listed in 2015 as part of the Champagne hillside, houses and cellars site category.

MARTINA NICOLLS

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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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